‘I felt embarrassed at first to be riding in an officer’s uniform,” said Pol Sen Sgt Maj Pramote Paotapoo as he manoeuvred his new “official vehicle” into the small streets of the old town area while on patrol.
A traffic officer from Samran Rat police station uses a ‘saleng’, or tricycle, to collect obstacles quietly placed on the streets by shop owners to reserve parking space for their customers or their own vehicles. Thanarak Khunton.
The traffic police officer attached to Samran Rat police was recalling the first few days of riding an old saleng, or tricycle, early last month to patrol the streets. A tricycle has always been looked down upon by commuters as it is the vehicle of garbage collectors or delivery men.
Following the launch of its bicycle patrol on June 1, Samran Rat police station adopted the saleng last month as a new and efficient vehicle for officers to tackle traffic violators in the vicinity.
It is used to support bicycle patrol units responsible for directing traffic in the Rattanakosin area, according to Pol Lt Gen Somkasem Jarak, deputy superintendent of the Samran Rat traffic police division.
The idea of using a saleng was floated when the station’s only patrol pickup broke down, forcing it to borrow a pedal-powered vehicle from a nearby ice factory.
A saleng has many good points, noted Pol Lt Gen Somkasem. It can be the most effective mode for police to patrol narrow alleys in a densely populated city area.
“We’re excited about using a mode of transportation that is creative and effective. It will also help us to be more environmentally friendly and save energy,” Pol Lt Gen Somkasem said.
But riding a saleng is not easy, said Pol Sen Sgt Maj Pramote, although he believes he excels on a bicycle. The most challenging task when riding a saleng is to keep balance otherwise the saleng can easily tip over.
Riding it requires skill and practice, he said, adding a worker at the ice factory which owns the saleng trained him to ride it. The officer often went home battered and with bruises on his legs in the first week of learning how to ride his new “official vehicle”.
Last week, the Bangkok Post observed police operations on Boriphat Road, a bustling street in the old town area and found a wide range of parking spot markers in many alleys, mostly in front of shops. Even though officers removed them from prohibited areas in the morning, they were back in place in the afternoon.
“Removing the objects is very tiring. They are replaced once the officers are gone,” Pol Sen Sgt Maj Pramote said.
Located in part of the designated old town area, the streets under control of Samran Rat police are narrow and roadside parking is either illegal or almost impossible to find. Many shop owners in the area put various objects — traffic cones, old tyres, stools, tree pots — to take up space on the roadside in front of their shops to secure parking spots for their customers.
Easing traffic snarls in the old town area in Phra Nakhon district has always been a big challenge for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and the Metropolitan Police Bureau.
Since late last year, the BMA has been urging city residents to use more bikes after it launched the capital’s first 8km complete bike lane in Phra Nakhon district.
Parts of the bike route are in the vicinity of Samran Rat police station.
Earlier this year, some two-way streets in the old town area were re-directed into one-way roads to ease traffic congestion.
Placing objects on the streets and in the bike lanes is not only against traffic regulations but also blocks the flow of vehicles, said Pol Lt Gen Somkasem, adding that when patrol officers on bicycles find these items, they call for tricycle support to remove the items.
Violators face a maximum fine of 500 baht under the Land Traffic Act, section 114, he said.
A saleng team comprises two police officers: one to ride the vehicle and the other to help remove the offending objects.
The teams go out on their missions twice a day in the late morning and late afternoon; after the morning rush hour and before the evening one to ensure a steady flow of vehicles.
Shop owners claim the new regulations are causing them problems as they cannot park their delivery vehicles in front of their shops. They can only park in designated spaces far from their shops.
A shop owner, identified only as “Je Ni”, says she has been seriously affected by the law enforcement.
She said her delivery men had quit their jobs as her pickup is not allowed to park in front of the shop, forcing staff to carry heavy stuff a very long distance.
The distance and weight mean workers have to work harder, Ms Je Ni said, admitting she has no choice but to break the law when officers are lax in their duties.
Even though officers are trying their best to keep the city in order, Ms Je Ni also wants them to understand the limitations of parking.
She called on authorities to review the regulations and give shop owners a few hours grace to park their delivery vehicles to unload or load their products in front of their store because Boriphat is a business area, not a residential community.
Ms Je Ni said she is hoping the authorities can find a compromise solution to both the officers doing their duty and business operators doing business, while ending the chronic traffic problem.
Pol Sen Sgt Maj Pramote said he isn’t very strict with the business operators in the area, but tries to ease congestion.
After about three weeks on patrol, he claims the saleng unit has received a positive response from the locals, saying residents find the vehicle a new attraction and the officers more friendly and approachable.
“Riding a saleng is challenging and fun. The saleng and Samran Rat police are now inseparable,” said the officer who has shed a few kilos of weight in the first few weeks.
He said it is more convenient for the team to collect 40-50 kilogrammes of objects from the streets on a 2km route every day.
The police station is considering adding more salengs to its patrol fleet, to enhance the mobility of bike patrol units which now consist of 10 bicycles.